Altra Timp Review

I've come to appreciate the Altra Timp over the last few hundred miles, and it's been a great companion on some wonderful adventures. I've using them on a wide variety of surfaces, from the slick mud and deep bogs of the English fells, to the gnarly rocky trails of the appellation Mountains, and even some connecting roads. I've done a number of self-supported, day long runs of 30-50 miles, and they've proved themselves a wonderful multipurpose running shoe. They don't have the incredible sticky outsole of the original Hoka Mafate Speed, but the latest version of the Mafate has moved away from the grippy RMAT to a Vibram outsole. There were a couple of times when I really missed the grip of the Mafate, the Timp letting me down (literally) on wet rock, but the Timp is a better all-around trail shoe. While the Timp lacks head room in the toe box, it doesn't press the toes down as much as many other shoes, and I managed to run hundreds of miles in them before I cut open the toe box. I rated the Timp as "Best of the Best" and is my top-rated trail shoe. The Altra Lone Peak is quite similar and very close, but I think the Timp is slightly better. (I use The Science of Running Shoes as the basis of how I test running shoes and what you should look for in a running shoe.)

Altra TIMP top

Altra TIMP outside

Altra TIMP bottom

Altra TIMP inside

1 Characteristics

Cushioning. Altra consider the Timp "high cushioning", which is below their maximalist category. I found it a nice level of cushioning on both road and trail surface. This amount of cushioning reduces the amount you feel the ground, but it also adds to the grip by conforming to the shape of the terrain. The cushioning is quite soft but has a moderate amount of spring. The cushioning-to-weight ratio is pretty poor, as this is a fairly heavy shoe. However, the weight penalty is not so unreasonable in a good trail shoe that provides comfort and protection.

Drop. The Timp has a little bit of drop, either loaded or unloaded, but it's small enough that I doubt many runners will be able to detect it.

Structure. The Timp uses just one density of foam and doesn't attempt to manipulate or interfere with your natural biomechanics.

Flexibility. The thickness of the Timp makes it rather inflexible, though I found it loosened up with the miles.

Outsole. There's harder rubber over the vast majority of the soft midsole, with just small patches that of midsole foam exposed. I've found the outsole to be hard wearing, and the 4mm lugs are a reasonable compromise for traction on different surfaces. On slick mud I'd have liked something more aggressive, but most of the time that the Timp was inadequate I don't think any shoe would have provided grip.

Shape. Altra shoes are some of the few that attempt to actually fit the human foot. The Timp does a great job of fitting the outline of the human foot, and there's more headroom for your toes than many Altra shoes. I ran for 250+ miles in them before I started to experiment with cutting the toe box open. For the Timp, this is mostly to allow my toes to bend upwards to tighten the plantar facia, something called the windlass mechanism. This raising of the toes strengthens the foot for landing, something most shoes prevent. (I recommend cutting open the toe box of virtually all running shoes, with the exception of a few shoes like some Altra shoes. When you have some worn out shoes, you should try cutting open the toe box. I've found that it's a big improvement, allowing my toes to move naturally and engage for toe off, as well as reducing the possibility of blisters.)

Upper. For trail running I really like the upper on the Timp. It's strong, with a good toe bumper, and I had no abrasion problems even running on rugged trails. The best part of the upper is the ankle opening, which is softly padded and cut low. Running gnarly trails means your angle is going to be twisting and bending far more than on roads or groomed trails. The Timp never caused me problems, even when my ankle was at the limit of its range of motion.

The upper backlight.

Tongue. The Timp has a traditional tongue with a gaiter down most of both sides, and is nicely padded. It stayed in place and remained comfortable at all times.

Heel Counter. The Timp has a hard heel counter, but it's low enough that it does nothing.

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2 After 280 miles

I've used the Timp on many trails in the 30-50 mile range, as well as shorter, faster runs. I've used it on groomed trails, gnarly rocky trails, thick mud, ankle deep bogs, as well as road sections. The Timp proved excellent on pretty much any surface except for thick, slick mud. In some situations, I think a more aggressive sole would have helped, but that would have compromised its ability on other surfaces. After this distance there's no noticeable wear on the outsole, but the midsole has compressed quite a bit. This is less of an issue for trail use than it would be on road, but the compression does create a tilt that's similar to running on a camber.

3 A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes

If you're looking for "the best of the best" running shoe, here are my top picks. Of course, the answer will depend a little on what you're looking for, so I have recommendations for various categories.

Best All Round Shoe. The Altra Escalante is my current all-round favorite. It has plenty of cushioning for its weight, it has a very springy midsole, it lasts well, and it has a shape that's closer to the shape of a human foot than most shoes. It's a great shoe for any runner, including those Starting to run. It's also a fairly easy shoe to find due to its popularity.

Best Maximalist Shoe: If you want something massively cushioned, then I'd recommend the Saucony Kinvara 8. It's remarkably light and remarkably cushioned, beating Hoka at their own game.

Best Optimal Shoe: For those looking to trade cushioning for speed, the Nike Zoom Streak LT 3 was my top pick, but the latest version (LT 4) falls short of it's predecessor. There are lots of great optimal running shoes, which provide just enough cushioning with light weight and minimal frills, but all have their weak spots. Probably the best option at the moment is the Altra Vanish-R, which offers great cushioning for just over 5oz/150g.

Fastest Shoe: If you really want speed, then check out the Nike Vaporfly 4%. It's light, massively cushioned, and has a carbon fiber plate. Nothing comes close, not even the now defunct New Balance RC5000‏‎ or New Balance RC5000v2‏‎. There are a number of caveats; it's really expensive, it's really hard to find, and there's a significant injury risk.

Best Minimalist Shoe: Merrell Trail Glove. I recommend the trail glove for road running in spite of the 'trail' moniker. It's not a fast shoe by any means, but it's comfortable and will last well.

All Terrain Shoe. For trail running, I've become a fan of Altra, and I think their best shoe is the the Altra Timp, though the Altra Lone Peak is really close.

Honorable Mention: It's not really a running shoe, but the Vivobarefoot Ra is comfortable, minimalist and can more or less pass as a dress shoe. I've worn mine to weddings with a suit and they've not looked out of place. You can run in the Ra, but the leather means it doesn't breathe well.